The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) is calling for transparency from telecom operators and internet service providers regarding their data processes to address customer frustrations regarding data inconsistencies. During a town hall meeting with data providers, UCC Executive Director Nyombi Thembo emphasized the regulator’s commitment to protecting consumer rights while facilitating industry growth.
Thembo highlighted consumers’ rights to access quality services, privacy, transparent terms and conditions, clear billing, complaint resolution, competitive offers, product safety, truth in advertising, and consumer education. He stressed that service providers must clearly communicate terms and conditions to customers upfront and promptly address grievances.
To empower consumers, the commission is developing mechanisms for self-monitoring data consumption trends, aiming to reduce complaints about data inconsistencies. “We are developing tools to enable consumers to monitor their data usage and quality, reducing complaints about data inconsistencies,” Thembo said. “The commission is assessing various tools to select one that will put the monitoring of data usage and quality in the hands of consumers.”
Consumers have voiced frustrations on social media over data pricing transparency, data offers, data consumption, and unclear data usage policies. “Over the past months, consumers across the nation on social media have voiced frustration over data pricing transparency, data offers, data consumption, and unclear data usage policies,” Thembo said. “We understand these issues and we are here to address them head-on. From here, we shall go on the streets and markets to make sure that we put this across and receive these concerns from the grassroots.”
Julianne Mweheire, UCC Director of Industry Affairs and Content Development, said the commission has been “actively monitoring the pricing strategies of telecoms to ensure that they are fair and transparent. We understand the importance of affordable access to data services for all individuals and we are committing to supporting competition to drive down prices while maintaining desirable service quality.”
Mweheire highlighted several consumer concerns, including data expiry, where consumers feel cheated by operators when unused account balances are swept at the end of a bundle period. She also mentioned rapid data depletion, with customers reporting increased rates of data depletion even with similar usage. Additionally, she noted data affordability concerns compared to the East African region, and data offer disparities.
David Birungi, Airtel’s head of communications, acknowledged persistent complaints despite operator efforts to educate customers, attributing issues to smartphone users’ lack of understanding. Airtel plans to enhance subscriber sensitization and initiate community outreaches.
Regarding data costs, Birungi noted Uganda’s competitive rates but advocated for reducing smartphone taxes to increase adoption. “Uganda is one of the countries that have competitive rates of data. The average cost of a GB is about 2000 Shillings. The most important conversation we should have is how to reduce that cost; by increasing the number of people who are using smartphones. It’s like having a bus of 25 people and you are only three people on it, you pay the full cost of hiring that bus. Right now, only 33 percent of Ugandans use smartphones on a network that stretches from Nebbi to Kitgum to Bujjiji to Kabaale.”
John Walugembe, representing Small and Medium Enterprises, pointed out challenges businesses face while trying to go digital, including expensive data and rapid depletion. “We have been telling SMEs since Covid to go digital and they agreed, but they are complaining about the cost of data,” he said. “And now we have a bigger problem that even when data is very expensive, when they load it gets depleted very fast to a point where they think it is being stolen. It is true that we have some consumers who are spending time on TikTok all day, but we also have consumers who are using data to sell their goods and services. They don’t have a choice to be online.”
The UCC’s push for transparency and consumer empowerment aligns with efforts to address data-related frustrations and enhance telecommunications services in Uganda.
